Beholders of Divine Secrets: Mysticism and Myth in the Hekhalot and Merkavah Literature

by Vita Daphna Arbel

Beholders of Divine Secrets provides a fascinating exploration of the enigmatic Hekhalot and Merkavah literature, the Jewish mystical writings of late antiquity. Vita Daphna Arbel delves into the unique nature of the mystical teachings, experiences, revelations, and spiritual exegesis presented in this literature. While previous scholarship has demonstrated the connection between Hekhalot and Merkavah mysticism and parallel traditions in Rabbinical writings, the Dead Sea Scrolls, apocalyptic, early Christian, and Gnostic sources, this work points out additional mythological traditions that resonate in this literature. Arbel suggests that mythological patterns of expression, as well as themes and models rooted in Near Eastern mythological traditions are employed, in a spiritualized fashion, to communicate mystical content. The possible cultural and social context of the Hekhalot and Merkavah mysticism and its composers is discussed.

Genres: Judaism, Religion, Mysticism

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Vita Daphna Arbel is Professor Emerita in the Department of Classical, Near Eastern, and Religious Studies at the University of British Columbia, where she taught for over two decades. A specialist in biblical and early Jewish literature and mysticism, her research explores themes of gender, mythology, apocalypticism, and esotericism in texts such as the Hekhalot literature and the Greek Life of Adam and Eve. She holds a PhD in Religious Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is internationally recognized for her contributions to the study of early Jewish mysticism and cultural transformations of biblical figures, particularly Eve. Arbel has authored and edited numerous influential books, including Forming Femininity in Antiquity and Beholders of Divine Secrets, and has served on editorial boards and in scholarly societies such as the Society of Biblical Literature and the Enoch Seminar. Her work often bridges ancient traditions with feminist and literary perspectives, offering fresh insights into the roles of women, angels, and divine figures in religious imagination. Arbel has presented widely at international conferences and led interdisciplinary initiatives on mysticism and angelology. Her current projects focus on femininities in the Song of Songs and visionary traditions in antiquity. As a teacher and scholar, she is admired for her ability to illuminate the mystical and mythic dimensions of ancient texts while engaging critically with modern interpretations. Through her extensive scholarship and mentorship, Arbel has shaped contemporary understandings of early Jewish mysticism and gendered religious narratives.

Reviews

[David Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book examines Jewish Mysticism, especially the visions of Rabbi Akiva, Neḥunya ben ha-Ḳanah, and Ishmael through the filters of 3 Enoch, and other books in order to understand the chariot voyages and Hekhalot ascents. He explores Mysticism, its language, places explored, geography, and the God which Rabbis seek to exalt and explain. The boo repeats itself some, which is probably necessary to help take in the information and thought pattern.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the author's doctoral dissertation in book form. It is a study of mythological motifs from the Ancient Near East in the Jewish mystical tradition in late antiquity and early medieval period. It is an interesting study from a comparative perspective, but does not draw any conclusion regarding the transmission of the ideas from Mesopotamia in 500BC and the Hekhalot and Merkavah literature of 200-800AD.

[Ahmed Ramadan · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب جميل عن أدب الهييخليوت والميركافا وبيقارنه بغيره من الديانات الشرقية القديمة وبيوضح خصائصه .. وبيحطه في سياق عام سواء من الكتابات اليهودية اللي قبله سواء في الأنجيل العبري أو الكتابات الرؤياوية أو الشرقية زي الأشورية والبابلية والمصرية .. يعيبه أنه مكرر بس شوية